A cut-rate Dystopian film

Rating: 5/10 (13 July 2006)

While Michael Bay is not exactly known for his subtlety or artistic merit in Hollywood, one would think that he could at least handle a brainless sci-fi action film like The Island. But he fails, and this is a waste of time. This film does not have an ounce of originality to save itself or a standout performance to keep your attention. The closest it comes to this is rentable bad guy Sean Bean and an occasionally funny Steve Buscemi is a quirky supporting role.
Another redeeming aspect to The Island is the emphasis placed on technology in society. This whole theme is borrowed from Brave New World so it is hardly innovative, but it definitely fits in today's world and the premise of The Island. It is refreshing to see that the big budget of the production was not spent on late night taco-runs, but on realistic props and CGI effects. In that sense, The Island is quite fun to watch.
In the bigger sense, it is uninvolving to watch because you cannot compensate hammy acting (Scarlett, this was your worst performance ever), plot holes en masse, an unoriginal story, uninvolving action sequences and contrived 'emotional' character development with just nice visual effects. 5/10